


Mermaid's Kiss

by motherconfessor



Category: Original Work
Genre: Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Lesbian Character, Magic, Magic School, Mermaids, Romance, Sorceresses, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23259400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/motherconfessor/pseuds/motherconfessor
Summary: When Sabine accidentally teleports into the depths of the ocean, she doesn't expect to be saved by a mermaid.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	Mermaid's Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> I've been trying to write an overall novel in this world, but I wanted to play in it first. Mostly so I could explore the Pythian Academy and bits of mermaid culture.

Mistress Rivka's pale eyes followed them around the room. A scowl etched on her face as she watched the sorceress in the centre of the room.

"Again," she demanded.

Eloise swallowed and opened her hand, her arm shaking underneath the power as she squeezed her eyes shut and curled her fingers, summoning a teleportation circle. The portal shifted, fluctuating with her magic before it collapsed on its self.

Rivka swept her hand across the air, and the girl flew back against the wall, in line with the other acolytes.

"Sabine," she summoned. "The beach."

Sabine stepped forward. Electricity shot down her spine, magic unfurling inside of her as her stomach clenched. She drew a deep breath and then shot out her hand and curled her fingers, summoning a teleportation circle as she thoughts of the rocks at the academy's east, the waves that smashed against them and the seashells she'd dug from the sand.

The smell of salt water filled the room as the circle grew bright and held steady. Rivka stepped forward and looked it over before nodding for Sabine to step upon it.

Sabine nodded and stepped onto the circle's surface. It felt like glass beneath her bare feet, the coldness chilling against her skin. Then, casting her hand high into the air, she dropped the barrier and fell through the circle.

It was like falling in darkness. Wind from the netherworld ripped around and then she fell through the other side, crashing against coldness. All around her, the world was dark as she sunk in what first seemed like the night sky, but Sabine realised was the ocean.

Her circle had been off. How far off?

She tried to summon another circle, but the magic hissed away. There was no surface to hold against it, and they hadn't yet learnt other forms of teleportation.

Sabine stared up, looking for the surface, listening for the roles of thunder, but only water and the sounded of her heartbeat filled her ears.

She spun around, looking for a light, but was met only with darkness. She was going to drown.

Five years of education and this was how she was to die? An imperfectly cast circle? Sabine felt her rage grow inside of her. No. She refused. All of that pain, all of that loneliness and anger, it had to be for something.

She knew that there was no spell within her ability to help her breathe. There were potions, but she had none on her body. There was nothing in her pockets except her handkerchief and silver thread.

Her lungs were beginning to burn.

She needed to know where the surface was.

Taking the handkerchief and thread from her pocket, she stuffed it between her hands. Thinking the incantation over and over in her head, she felt her magic weave into the silver thread, enchanting the handkerchief.

As her hands separated, the handkerchief floated in the water casting a bright light. Sabine looked around the ocean, her vision blurred by the sea before she caught the glimmer of waves beneath her.

Taking the handkerchief, she swam towards the assumed surface. As the light glimmered against it, she tried to discern the depth. One hundred metres, fifty? She couldn't tell.

Whatever it was, it was far. She would run out of breath before reaching it.

Undoing her dress, she pushed it off and placed a hand over her shift, casting a buoyancy charm into its threads. Feeling pulled by the current, she kicked up and swam towards the surface, guided by the enchanted handkerchief.

Her breath escaped, pushed from her lungs and bubbled around her as she swam. Her lungs burned, her limbs ached, and a dreadful thought wondered - what if she was wrong, what if this wasn't the surface?

Was Mistress Rivka just standing in the great hall, waiting for her return? Had she realised where she transported and tried to summon her back to no avail? Or was it like when Moira's fire had spread out of control and consumed the entire room before help could occur?

Was that how she was to die, a simple mistake that had gone awry, leaving her to become a cautionary tale to other sorceresses...

Her heartbeat was loud in her ears.

There was nothing in room worth memories: a comb, ribbons, some dresses and shoes. There was no secret graffiti she'd left on the dresser that marked her life. Nothing etched on the bed or on desks to say I was here. I existed.

She had to live.

With a push of adrenaline, she broke the surface and air hit her lungs. The cold stung, and the waves pushed against her, but she was here, on the surface.

The handkerchief's light dimmed, and Sabine looked around. She couldn't make out much aside from an occasional flash of lightning in the distance. Her heart sunk as she saw nothing but a vast expanse of the ocean. No rocks, no landmarks, no land...not even a boat.

She would die alone.

Sabine took the handkerchief, feeling a wave of exhaustion take her as the magic use depleted her reserves.

Cold and tired, her magic depleted and with no help in sight, it seemed hopeless.

And yet, she could breathe. One problem solved.

She floated on the ocean, the waves rocking her. With the last of her magic, she re-cast the buoyancy spell with the verbal incantation to increase its strength. It had seemed like such a stupid spell to learn at the time, and yet here she was, casting it. It had probably saved her life and would help to survive as she rested.

Sabine closed her eyes, her ears beneath the water, drowned to the noise of the thunder far above.

Her thoughts sunk, drifting in darkness. She thought of Moira who had only wanted to light a candle without getting out of bed.

Something cold and wet slipped over her ankle.

Flailing, Sabine shot around, looking for the cause and felt movement underneath her. Her body began to shake, wandering what creature had found her.

A drowned soldier, perhaps, cursed to wander Davy Jones Locker? Or a champion of some ocean god.

A dark shadow rose in the water beside her and two eyes peered through. Then a mouth and sharp teeth.

"Hello," the mouth said, in the same language she spoke.

"Hello," she returned.

The creature's face was humanoid, her eyes were big and had iris the colour of amber, almost glowing in the night. Her teeth were not sharklike as she first thought, but somewhat humanoid. As she opened her mouth, Sabine realised it was only the canine teeth that were long and sharp, with the top row sitting neatly against the bottom's, like a wolf's.

"You seem lost," the figure said.

"I am."

"Did your boat crash?"

"No, I cast a teleportation circle and fell into the ocean instead."

The figure cocked her head, before whispering 'teleportation circle' under breath, as if trying the words for the first time. "Interesting," she said. "It was nice to meet you." And then she ducked underneath the water.

"Wait," Sabine cried out, before sinking underneath the water to look for her.

The humanoid figure swam back towards her, as she did, Sabine realised she didn't have legs, but a long tail. It was not fish-like as she expected from stories but similar to a dolphin's tail. The figure swam back to the surface, and Sabine followed, looking at her with a new fascination.

Her face was very humanoid, she had dark hair like Sabine, but its shade was difficult to tell with the dim light around them.

"Yes?" the mermaid asked.

"Do...do you know where land is?''

"I do," she said. "There's an island not far away." She pointed over to the left of Sabine, over the horizon. "Will you give me something if I take you there."

Sabine considered lying, but decided against it. "I do not have any money or jewels."

The mermaid looked confused again, cocking her head. "What about that," she said, pointing to the handkerchief that was in Sabine's grip. "Will you give me that?"

"This, but it's ––" she stopped herself, swallowing back the words. "Of course, if that is what you want."

The mermaid smiled. "A deal then, I will take you to the island, and you will provide me with the square." The mermaid then swam forward so that Sabine could feel her warm breath on her skin. "Take a deep breath, and then do not let it go."

Sabine stared into the dark eyes before nodding. She took a deep breath.

The mermaid leant forward and kissed her. As her lips touched, a shot of electricity crackled over Sabine's. Magic, she realised, as it shot through her mouth, down her lungs and seared through her like no enchantment she had experienced.

When the mermaid pulled back, she gave a small nod. "Keep a hold of it. It should last a while now."

Then the mermaid took her hand and pulled her deep in the ocean. As she did, Sabine removed the buoyancy charm to allow her self to move through the water easier.

Seconds passed, and at first, Sabine worried about her air supply, but seconds turned to minutes, and the enchantment held. Not only that, but her body felt warmer, and even her vision had become sharper in the depths, picking up movement and shapes where previously there had been only darkness.

Sabine had never known any magic like that. Outside of potions of underwater breathing, or transformation, there was nothing. It was incredible!

Everything she knew about mermaids was based around myths. The merfolk were notoriously recluse from humans, especially with magic users who had often hunted them for ingredients. Even Sabine knew that a mermaid's tongue was the key ingredient in a powerful charisma potion, often sought by kings when making negotiations. Nothing she'd heard had spoken about their ability to charm those with a kiss.

As they swam on, the magic began to wane. At first, she felt cold, and then she felt her lungs begin to constrain. Struggling, she tugged at hand the mermaid's holding hers.

The mermaid looked and nodded, bringing her to the surface where Sabine let go of the air and drew in a new breath. She turned to the mermaid, laughing. "That was incredible!" she said. "Truly incredible."

"It is not. If it were, you would have been able to hold your air for at least a tide."

"A tide...as in... How many hours are a tide?"

"I don't know. How long is an hour?"

Sabine went to explain, before realising that the mermaid was unlikely to understand minutes and seconds if she didn't understand tides. "It doesn't matter," she said instead. "I still believe it was truly an incredible use of magic."

The mermaid's face softened, her eyes sparkling in the light.

"Take a deep breath," she advised.

Sabine followed, and this time felt her heart beat faster as the mermaid swam up and cupped her hands to her cheek. Soft lips pressed to hers and Sabine's own parted, her eyes falling shut at the touch. It was a longer kiss than before, and Sabine felt the familiar rush of sparks cascade down her tongue, through to her lungs, before the mermaid pulled away.

"Don't let go," the mermaid said and then retook her hand, diving into the depths of the ocean.

As they swam, Sabine began to see the bottom of the seafloor, and with it, different sea creatures.

There were fish swimming in schools, crabs that floated along with the current. There were even strange snakes that would shift to the colour of sand and disappearing from view.

And then, Sabine felt her heart slow as she saw a massive fish that turned and began to curl their way.

Except it wasn't just any fish, Sabine could tell by its silhouette that it was an enormous shark. It looked to be three times Sabine's length, if not more.

Sabine tugged as the mermaid's hand and pointed to the shark.

Sabine looked surprised and then began to swim towards the shark. Sabine tugged at her hand, felling terror but the mermaid pulled back, her other hand making different shapes as she tried to communicate with Sabine.

Whatever she was saying, Sabine wasn't sure, but she followed the mermaid's lead and allowed herself to be tugged along, knowing her option would otherwise be alone with no certainty of where she was going.

As they grew closer, the shark swam up, and Sabine curled behind the mermaid, watching as the shark's mouth parted and then...bumped its nose against the mermaid's shoulder.

The mermaid reached out a hand, stroking against the shark's body. She pulled Sabine up towards her and then, wrapping one arm around Sabine's waist, used the other to take their entwined hand to run across the shark's body as it swam around again.

It was...rough. Different to how she expected. The shark swam around them once, and although Sabine still found her stomach was tied in knots, she felt her heart slow down. The shark nudged against them curiously and insistent for another pet against its side.

Twice more it swam around, even allowing them to brush against its belly.

Sabine turned around to show the mermaid her excitement at the creature. The mermaid smiled at her through the water and Sabine watched as her long hair flew around her face, giving her a strange, ethereal appearance. Desperately she found herself wishing that she need more air, but she did not. She was still able to hold her breath.

The mermaid took her hand and swam away from the shark, gently brushing against the creature a final time before dragging Sabine further through the ocean.

All at once, the floor shelf rose like a mountain they flew across. Here, Sabine could see coral and array of multicoloured fish. There was jellyfish that swam around, an eel that ducked out and attacked a bright coloured fish, only to miss it, and a small octopus that bobbled through the vegetation.

The surface grew close too, and then the mermaid brought her to the waves where Sabine could stand on the bank and keep her head out of water.

Looking forward, she spotted the island and its trees. It wasn't large, but there was plenty of grass that she could use to cast a teleportation spell once she had rested.

Sabine began to walk, before stopping and turning to the mermaid who was swimming beside her. "Do you have to leave?" she asked her.

"My family will wonder where I have been if I don't return in a few days. I was only out to look for treasure."

Sabine's heart fluttered. "So, you could stay for tonight?"

"The night is almost over," the mermaid said, looking out to the sky that remained spotted with storm clouds. "But I will stay until dawn."

"Please," Sabine said. She moved, to sit in on the shore, where it was deep enough for the mermaid to sit in, but Sabine watched as the mermaid rose and stood tall above her, easily a foot higher than herself.

"Oh," Sabine said. "I didn't know you could do that."

"Only during moonless nights," she said. "I'll need to return at dawn."

Sabine nodded and began walking over to the island. Grabbing some of the driftwood she found, she stacked it against the bank and then cast it alight.

"You're a mage," the mermaid said.

Sabine turned and looked at her. The mermaid had pulled away, stepping back towards the water. "No, please don't go. I promise I won't hurt you."

The mermaid looked hesitant. "Mages are said to hunt our kind."

"Mermaids are said to drown us," Sabine returned. "But you saved me."

The mermaid crossed her hands over her naked torso, tossing long dark tendrils of hair over her shoulder. Her brow furrowed before she nodded and stepped forward. "As you say."

Sabine let out a relieved sigh and sat down by the fire, the mermaid came to sit beside her but keeping three feet away.

Taking a long stick, Sabine stoked at the fire. "I'm sorry I scared you."

The mermaid shook her head. "You need not apologise. Mages are as varied as we are and I should recall that. You seem kind. I hope you are kind."

Sabine smiled. "I hope so too. Mages are often...conceited in their view of the world. They rarely work well with others and prefer an isolated living. I don't think I could bear the loneliness that would bring."

"You don't like being by yourself?"

"No. I want to share the world with someone. Have someone to talk to about exciting the things I see and discuss knowledge and politics and the world. An isolated life may suit some, but it seems lonely to me."

"Is that why you cast your circle?"

"No. I cast it because I'm studying to become a great sorceress," she said. "I had wanted to be the first to cast a transportation circle. Instead, I will be a cautionary tale to the other acolytes."

"But you will return?"

"Mm. The punishment for failure is...it's meant to prevent you from making a mistake again. I will first learn why I failed and then I will be punished. Makes me want to stay on this island forever, but...then I won't become great. I'll just be...this. It's not enough."

The mermaid stared into the flames, contemplating her words. "You want to be a sorceress. A great one?"

"I do. More than anything."

The mermaid nodded. "I want to discover the world, but our god says that our kind must remain together or become banished. We can only leave for a few days at a time."

Sabine wondered at her words. "Does your god speak to you?"

"Sometimes. On our nameday, we're greeted, and in our seventeenth cycle, we are permitted to meet for a favour. Otherwise, only the Della are allowed to speak to him."

"Della? Are they like priests?"

"In ways. The Della are our law. They speak to our god and provide guidance to those in need."

"Oh. Like a king?"

The mermaid face scrunched up as if to disagree, but she didn't speak. Sabine was thankful for it. She didn't wish to discuss it further and look like a fool.

"It's a warm night."

"It is," the mermaid agreed.

In the firelight, her hair looked indigo in colour, it glimmered in the light, at times sparkling like jewels as droplets of water gathered in its locks.

Sabine reached out and touched against a strand that had stuck to the mermaid's cheek. As she moved it, it curled wetly against her fingertips. The mermaid turned and looked at her, an intense expression on her face as she stared back at the sorceress.

"You are beautiful," the mermaid whispered.

"As are you," Sabine said back, feeling her fingers begin to shake.

The fire made a loud crack, and Sabine's hand shot back to the sand, looking away from the mermaid. The mermaid didn't say anything, only turned back to look at the fire.

"Dawn will be here before the tide finishes," the mermaid said.

"Oh, well, before I forget," Sabine said, taking out the handkerchief, "this is yours for bringing me safe passage."

The mermaid took it in her hands, her fingers touching over the embroidery of stars and moons. "What does this say?" she asked, gliding her fingers to the other corner's stitching."

"Sabine. Most girls have their initials, but I only have one name. It seemed silly to stitch the letter 'S' by its self." She said, pointing to the embroidery, "So I did my whole name."

"There are women with other names?"

"Some. Three names mean your blood's important. Two means your family did something special. If I become great, I'll be provided with a last name that stands for my work. Then I will be allowed passage to wherever I please."

The mermaid's face furrowed, but she nodded as if to say she grasped part of its elements. "Sabine," she echoed. "It's a pretty name."

"What's yours, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Orra," she said. "I have eight older sisters. I believe it was a joke."

"Eight?" Sabine said. "Your parents must have been trying for a son."

"Son? Mm, no. Sons are given back to sailors. They do not have...tails."

"Oh...so...do you have brothers?"

"Maybe. Sons are just human, so we don't worry."

"Then who's your father?"

Orra shrugged. "If we choose to bear a child, sometimes we will walk the land on a night like this. Sometimes we find sailors at sea and meet them on their ship at night, while others sleep."

"Oh..."

"Sometimes, we find them in shipwrecks though, and we take them to shore."

Sabine nodded, fiddling with the grass she sat on. "Must be hard."

"I don't want to breed though," Orra said, looking at her. "But I had hoped to find a shipwreck."

"For treasure?"

"Sometimes," Orra said, playing with the handkerchief. "There are other things I look for."

"Like what?"

"Sometimes, there are women."

Sabine's brow furrowed before she realised what she meant. "Oh!"

"We have until sunrise. We can just talk if you wish."

Sabine nodded before shaking her head. "No, I mean yes, I would love to talk but..." and then she trailed off, staring at the mermaid. "Orra, I...I haven't been intimate w-" Orra kissed her. A long deep kiss that felt as though the world had paused around them.

The mermaid's hand drew over her face, pushing the damp hair from Sabine's cheek. "I enjoy your company, Sabine. I would very much enjoy your company until dawn if you would so wish."

Sabine felt her heart race and eyes fall shut as she nodded again, parting her lips to kiss her. "Yes," she whispered against the woman's lips. Then again, "yes," as the mermaid gently laid her back on the ground before climbing atop of her.

When dawn was close, the mermaid rolled from her side, gently awakening Sabine with a kiss. "Farewell Sabine."

"I hope I find you again."

"As do I," she whispered before rising to her feet. Sabine followed, walking to the shoreline and watching as Orra dive into the ocean, returning to her form. The mermaid turned and looked back, smiling the last time before she sunk beneath the waters, just as the sky began to turn pink and gold.

Sabine stayed on the beach for a while longer, until her heart eased from the farewell.

Then, with the sky turning blue, she stood steady, and pulled her hand out and thought of great hall, of its stone walls and ground and the twenty-one windows that cast along it its sides. She opened her hand and summoned the transportation circle and fell away, landing on a stone-ground with a sudden thump.

There were a great many gasps as she painfully rose to her feet. Standing in a semi-circle around her was the same class she left. It had still been a day that has passed, but they were nonetheless surprised to see her.

"Sabine," Mistress Rivka said, casting with her left hand. At once, Sabine found herself dressed in a set of clothes she had previously had hung up in her wardrobe. "You're late."

"I-" she felt like explaining or arguing or just shouting in general, before she nodded at the mistress. "I apologise. It will not happen again."

"Return to your place."

Sabine nodded and returned to her place amongst her cohorts. Taking a deep breath, she watched as Mistress Rivka returned to her lecture as if Sabine had not been missing for a day.

"We thought you were dead," Eloise said beside her.

"I survived."

"Where did you go? Rivka tried to summon you back, but all we got was seawater and fish. She said you must have teleported to the ocean."

There was a silence as Mistress Rivka stared at them both. Eloise quietly stood tall and returned to focusing on her. With a last look, Mistress Rivka began to speak again, but Sabine found she could barely concentrate. All her mind considered was the sweet sound of Orra's voice as she hummed against her collarbone.

Maybe, if she became great, she could find her again. After all, she had her handkerchief.


End file.
